


lead and follow

by akire_yta



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 11:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teyla has a question about pop culture</p>
            </blockquote>





	lead and follow

**Author's Note:**

> pinch hit for the Atlantis Back to Basics ficathon

“When they called it Lassie, I thought they were just being…”

“Themselves?” Teyla’s eyebrow lifted slightly, a little quirk that was now so familiar to Elizabeth that she couldn’t remember if it was something Teyla had always done, or whether she had picked it up from the humans she now lived amongst.

“Exactly.” Elizabeth leant against the sun-warmed metal of the hull of the jumper, enjoying the feel of the heat as it seeped through her shirt and into her skin. She was expecting Teyla to move away, join the knot of adults clustered around the child, wrapped in blankets and still looking slightly stunned after his ordeal, but instead the other woman stayed with her, mimicking her stance as she leaned against the jumper.

Despite the noise of the crowd, Elizabeth felt the silence stretch between them. She felt the words that were her life, her trade, bubble up into her throat to fill the gap. “Dr Beckett says he’s going to be fine.”

Teyla’s head bobbed, her hair flickering over her cheek, but otherwise was silent. Her eyes were fixed on the child being held tightly by his father after being plucked from the sea and the care of what Elizabeth was starting to suspect was Atlantis' aquatic patron saint-whale.

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked at the ground. Silences, too, were part of her trade. From the beginning she had been taught to know when to shut up, and when to walk away. Every indication she was receiving was telling her this was one of those times. She pushed herself upright, back into her proper posture. With a small smile, she silently apologized to Teyla for her inadvertent transgression and moved to walk away.

The hand that clamped onto her wrist was warm like the skin of the jumper. Teyla’s face was blank, impassive, unreadable, but the tension in the hand wrapped around Elizabeth’s wrist gave her her cues – follow.

So she followed.

Teyla’s path lead them around the nose of the jumper, away from the celebrations of the Athosians, towards the rings of huts that made the village. Ducking her head, she followed Teyla into the farther-most home.

The hand-woven hangings, the fragrant smell of tea and spices, the cool soothing darkness reminded Elizabeth of her infrequent visits to Teyla’s quarters.

“They built me this place to remind me that no matter how far I travel or how much I grow, I will always have a place among my people.”

“This is yours?” Following the gesture of her host, she settled on a thick mat set next to a low table.

Teyla inclined her head as she measured spices and dried leaves into a glazed pot. “We all require our own space.” She handed Elizabeth a small, palm-sized bowl glazed sky-blue.

“Sanctuary.” Under her fingertips, Elizabeth could feel the ridges left in clay from when it was malleable, before it was fired.

“Belonging,” Teyla corrected. Lifting the pot, Elizabeth caught the scent of herbs, heady and soothing. “Knowing that hands will catch you can only make you more confident to risk the fall.”

In her palm, the blue cup warmed as it absorbed the heat of the liquid. She kept her eyes fixed on the ripples in the liquid. “Who catches them?”

She could hear Teyla’s gentle amusement, as warm and as soothing as the tea she served. “We catch each other.” Her hand, strong and gentle, reached out and wrapped around Elizabeth’s, cupping her hand as she cradled the teacup. “Sanctuaries have a habit of becoming traps, isolating us from those we need to the most.”

“We all need quiet, from time to time.”

“Yes. But we also need to step back out into the noise.” As if to punctuate her words, the noise of the impromptu party outside swelled. Three cheers, a part of Elizabeth’s mind automatically categorized.

Elizabeth smiled and raised the tea to her lips, closing her eyes as she felt Teyla’s hands gently tighten their grip to guide her. The tea was spicy, warming her as she swallowed.

When she opened her eyes, Teyla sat back again. “Now,” she said in more normal tones. “Could you explain to me exactly what a ‘Lassie’ is?”

Laughing, Elizabeth complied.


End file.
